Hibiscus plant named &#34;My Valentine&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of hardy herbaceous  Hibiscus  hybrid plant named ‘My Valentine’ is winter-hardy with naturally short, mounded habit with dense heavy branching. The foliage is fine textured tri-lobed and of dark green with purple tinting and veining. The flowers are large and numerous with red-velvet overlapping, slightly-recurved petals over a long blooming period.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Hibiscus hybrid (L.)

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘My Valentine’

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to the new and distinct hardy, herbaceous,hibiscus plant, Hibiscus ‘My Valentine’ hybridized by Kevin A. Hurd inthe summer of 2007 at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The new plant,originally labeled #07-57-07, is from a cross between the proprietaryhybrid #04-17-13 (not patented) (female pod parent) times theproprietary hybrid #5-255-08 (not patented) (male pollen parent). Bothparents have a complex mixture of species in them, most likely includingthe species: moscheutos, coccineus and laevis. Hibiscus ‘My Valentine’was first asexually propagated in 2009 by both stem cuttings and steriletissue culture at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The resultantplants have been found to be stable and true to type in successivegenerations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Hibiscus ‘My Valentine’ differs from its parents as well as all otherhardy hibiscus known to the applicant in many traits. The foliage colorof ‘My Valentine’ is a dark green with burgundy tinting and veining. Thefoliage shape of ‘My Valentine’ is heterophyllous, depending on the timeof year and position on the stem and rate of growth. Upper leaves onrapidly growing stems may be nearly lanceolate to ovate with roundedbase and narrowly acute apex. Lower leaves on more mature plants may bepalmately tri-lobed to five-lobed. The flower of ‘My Valentine’ iscomprised of slightly-recurved red-velvet petals with columns ofcomplimenting light yellow pollen.

The cultivars most similar to Hibiscus ‘My Valentine’ are Hibiscus‘Fireball’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,631, Hibiscus ‘Lord Baltimore’ (notpatented), Hibiscus ‘Robert Fleming’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,776 andHibiscus ‘Sultry Kiss’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,300. The new plant istaller than ‘Robert Fleming’, with lighter red flower and foliage thatis flatter, less rugose and darker green. Compared to ‘Fireball’, ‘MyValentine’ has more compact shorter habit with less sprawling and angledstems, the foliage is less cleft or dissected, not as wide and theflower of ‘Fireball’ has a more blue tint and less bright red. ‘MyValentine’ is shorter and more branched than ‘Lord Baltimore’ and hasmore fertile flowers with petals that overlap more. Compared to ‘SultryKiss’ the new plant has darker red flowers and darker leaves.

In comparison to the parents, ‘My Valentine’ is shorter, more compact inhabit and with slightly smaller thicker-substance flowers than#04-17-13. In comparison to #05-255-08 the new plant has a deeper redflower, longer bloom time and more dissected foliage.

Hibiscus ‘My Valentine’ is a unique hardy herbaceous hibiscus with thefollowing combined traits:

1. Winter-hardy, naturally short, mounded habit with dense heavybranching.

2. Many flowers with red-velvet, overlapping, slightly-recurved petals.

3. Fine textured foliage of dark green with purple tinting and veining.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photograph of the new plant demonstrates the overall appearance ofthe plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum,source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation incolor. The plant in the photograph is a two-year old plant growing in afull-sun field loamy-sand soil environment with supplemental water andfertilizer as required.

FIG. 1 shows the new plant in full flower with variable foliage shapes,flowers and buds.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hibiscus ‘MyValentine’, has not been observed under all possible environments. Thephenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions,such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, butwithout any change in the genotype. The following observations and sizedescriptions are of two-year old plants in the loamy-sand open fieldtrials of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer andwater as needed. The plants are natural habit and were not treated withplant growth regulators, nor were they pinched at any time in the growthyear.

-   Parentage: proprietary hybrid #04-17-13 (not patented) (female pod    parent) times the proprietary hybrid #05-255-08 (not patented) (male    pollen parent)-   Propagation:    -   -   Method.—stem cuttings and sterile plant tissue culture            division. Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: about            two weeks.        -   Rooting habit.—normal, branching, developing thick to about            4 cm diameter, fleshy; root color creamy white between RHS            159A and lighter than RHS 159 D depending on soil type.        -   Crop time.—under normal summer growing conditions 12 to 16            weeks to flower in a four-liter container from cutting.            Plant vigor is very good.-   Plant description:    -   -   Plant shape and habit.—winter-hardy, multi-stemmed,            herbaceous perennial with 10 to 18 thick upright and heavily            branched main stems producing a rounded mound; 9 to 12            primary branches per main stem protruding at 45° to 75°            angle from horizontal, secondary branches on the lower two            thirds to one half of the primary branches; primary branch            size: between 8.0 cm and 40.0 cm long (shorter at the upper            nodes) and 0.4 cm to 1.0 cm diameter at the base of branch;            secondary branches to 4.5 cm long and 3.0 mm wide at base.        -   Plant size.—unpinched plant with stems 90 to 120 cm tall,            average about 115 cm tall from soil line, and diameter at            base average about 2.8 cm; overall plant 80 to 95 cm wide            about 30 cm above the base (widest point), average about 88            cm.        -   Internode length.—unpinched plant varied between 2.0 to 5.0            cm, average about 4.0 cm.        -   Foliage description.—alternate; dentate; glabrous;            heterophyllous; base equilateral, rounded base, acute apex;            palmatifid, mostly deeply and sharply cleft tri-lobed with            openings than 45 degrees; some immature leaves oblong ovate            with ovate bases and acute apexes, texture dull above and            below with younger developing leaves lustrous; palmately            veined; leaf size 11.0 cm to 15.0 cm long and 9.0 to 11.0 cm            wide, becoming smaller in distal portion of stem.        -   Foliage color.—adaxial side between RHS 139A and RHS 139B            with greyed-purple tinting of between RHS N187A and RHS            N186C; abaxial side between RHS 139C and RHS 139D.        -   Veins.—reticulate; primary adaxial veins variable in color;            lower leaves with mostly between RHS 144B and RHS 144C with            some tinting in the center of the leaves becoming purplish            nearest RHS 185B in the lower center main vein while veins            in the upper leaves with deeper purple nearest RHS 187D and            fewer green veins of nearest RHS 144B; main abaxial veins of            lower leaves RHS 187C with secondary veins nearest RHS 144B,            main abaxial veins upper leaves between RHS 187C and RHS            187B, secondary veins between RHS 144C and RHS 143C.        -   Petioles.—average size 5.0 cm long and 3.0 mm wide; mostly            cylindrical with proximal petioles more plano-convex; color            above nearest to RHS 185C or in more light nearest RHS 185A,            below between RHS 185D and RHS 185C; last distal centimeter            before leaf blade between RHS 138A and RHS 144A.-   Flower description:    -   -   Buds.—one day prior to opening about 7.0 cm long and 3.0 cm            in diameter, acute apex and bluntly rounded base, unopened            petals wrinkled at veins, exposed petal color nearest RHS            187B; prior to showing petals buds are about 3.3 cm long and            2.5 cm in diameter, ovoid with acute apex, carinate at the            fusion seam of the sepals; color between RHS 138A and RHS            138B with tinting and sepal carina between RHS N186C and RHS            183A.        -   Epicalyx.—entire, smooth, glabrous, linear with sharply            acute apex, curved around sepals; 10 to 12 per flower; 2.6            cm long tapering to base of 3.0 mm wide; adaxial color RHS            144A, abaxial color RHS 144C, with occasional tinting of            apex nearest RHS N186C.        -   Sepals.—5, glabrous, proximal half connate forming            campanulate star-shaped calyx; acute apex; margin entire,            edentate; about 4.0 cm long and 2.5 cm wide; abaxial color            nearest RHS 144A and adaxial color between RHS 144C and RHS            143D; five primary sepal veins nearly same color as sepal,            between RHS 144C and RHS 144D on inside and nearest RHS 144A            on outside.        -   Flowers.—solitary, 15 to 18 per main stem without pinching;            petals slightly recurved producing a flat face with concaved            center eye; upward and outwardly facing to display whole            face; average 21.0 cm across and 8.5 cm deep, larger in            early part of flowering season; persist for one to two days;            effective for at least 12 weeks beginning mid-July and            lasting into October; no detectable fragrance.        -   Petals.—five; glabrous, dull in the outer two thirds and            shiny in the inner one third, adnate to the androecium,            imbricate to about 100% overlapping at widest part (petals            completely overlapping to the edge of the next petal in the            position two over); shape rounded; margins entire; apex            rounded; base short claw-like; veins slightly impressed,            surface otherwise flat, without intense ruffles; about 12.0            cm long and 12.0 cm wide at widest portion (larger in            earlier part of flowering season and smaller later in            flowering season).        -   Petal color.—adaxial surface between RHS 46B and RHS 53B on            distal three quarters; shiny and nearest RHS 53A at base one            quarter lightening to between RHS 45C and RHS 46C just            before column attachment; abaxial surface between RHS 59B            and RHS 60A except for the basal 2.0 cm which is between RHS            53C and RHS 53B.        -   Petal veins.—diadromous; about 18 to 20 veins; slightly            impressed on adaxial surface and heavily ribbed on the            abaxial surface.        -   Petal vein color.—adaxial surface center nearest RHS 53B and            blending with petal color distally and petal eye proximally;            abaxial shiny and between RHS 46A and RHS 46B.        -   Gynoecium.—        -   Pistil.—mostly enclosed in column that is about 6.5 cm long            and 1.0 cm wide at base.        -   Column color.—striated length-wise at the basal 2.0 cm with            darkest portions nearest RHS 63A extending up the column            from center of petals and lightest portion nearest RHS 56D            extending up the column from edge of petals; distal 4.5 cm            of column nearest RHS 61C.        -   Style.—distal 1.0 cm portion of style split into five            branches and protrudes from column, branch diameter 2.0 mm,            branch color nearest RHS 59C.        -   Stigma.—five; globose, puberulose, about 3 mm in diameter,            nearest RHS 59A.        -   Ovary.—nearest RHS 145C.-   Androecium:    -   -   Filaments.—numerous, about 120; about 6.0 mm long and 0.5 mm            in diameter; attached to nearly the entire length of column;            nearest RHS 53C.        -   Anthers.—reniform; dorsifixed; longitudinal; about 2 mm long            and 1 mm wide; between RHS 53C and RHS 53D.        -   Pollen.—numerous, globose, less than 0.1mm long, between RHS            19D and RHS 158D.        -   Pedicel.—from base of sepal to abscission point average 1.5            cm long and 4 mm wide on early flowers decreasing in distal            flowers; color nearest RHS 184C with high light exposure and            nearest RHS 138B with more shading.        -   Peduncle.—flowers are easily visible, held out on average            5.5 cm long from abscission point to stem and 4 mm wide on            early flowers shortening to about 5.0 cm distally on stem;            distal 1.0 cm nearest RHS 138B and lower color between RHS            183B and RHS 184C with light exposure and nearest 138B with            more shading and at base nearest stem.        -   Fruit.—loculicidal capsule; glabrous; globose, occasionally            with abruptly acute apex; RHS N199B when mature.        -   Seed.—spherical, minutely floccose, globose to slightly            reniform; 3 to 4 mm in diameter; RHS 200A.        -   Disease resistance.—Resistance beyond that of other hardy            hibiscus cultivars has not been observed. The plant grows            best with plenty of moisture and adequate drainage, but is            able to tolerate some drought when mature. Hardiness at            least from USDA zone 4 through 9, and other disease            resistance is typical of that of other hibiscus cultivars.

I claim:
 1. A new cultivar of hardy herbaceous Hibiscus hybrid plantnamed ‘My Valentine’ as herein illustrated and described andphotographed, comprising winter-hardy, naturally short, mounded habitwith dense heavy branching; with fine textured tri-lobed foliage of darkgreen with purple tinting and veining and many red-velvet flowers havingoverlapping, slightly-recurved petals over a long blooming period;suitable for potted plant culture and landscaping as a specimen, smallgroup or en masse.